What motivated charter vote?

ANDREW HILL HIGH TEACHERS MUST PUT THEIR ANGER ASIDE, SHOW THEY'RE ABLE TO RUN SCHOOL

12/31/04 – San Jose Mercury News
Mercury News Editorial

A charter school can be a powerful impetus for reform and innovation.

It's not clear, however, what teachers at Andrew Hill High School had foremost in mind when they decided to pursue a charter. They must now create a vision for their school, a plan for carrying it out and a budget that's based on more than hope. They must prove that their vote was not just a protest against personnel moves they don't like and budget cuts they fear.

Just before Christmas vacation, a majority of teachers voted by secret ballot to notify the district of their intent to transform their East Side Union high school into a charter school, possibly as early as September. Fifty-six of 76 tenured teachers voted, with 42 approving the idea.

The vote surprised the district. But if any school were to secede from district governance, it would be Andrew Hill, home of a core of union activists and harsh critics of Superintendent Esperanza Zendejas and the trustees.

The faculty vote comes amid a fiscal crisis threatening the district's 11 high schools and uncertainty for Andrew Hill. The school runs several excellent programs, including a medical magnet and an academically rigorous International Baccalaureate program. Its veteran teachers view recent budget cuts as ominous signs: The district is closing a medical clinic on campus as well as scaling back the acclaimed Valdes summer math institute and reassigning its head to classroom work at another school.

The decision by popular school Principal Dave Riley to go on medical leave was another factor. Zendejas assigned Santa Teresa High co-principal Ana Lomas as the interim replacement without consulting the faculty. That's the superintendent's prerogative, but some teachers felt slighted -- and they were incensed when trustee Craig Mann e-mailed a teacher that she should, in effect, mind her own business.

Frustration has motivated many charter-school founders, but good schools aren't built on anger. Andrew Hill's teachers no doubt are earnest in desiring to save successful programs they've built, but a charter is also a mandate to break loose and experiment. Foundations don't fund merely the status quo, and the teachers will need foundation support.

Over the next few months, the teachers must solicit views of parents and the wider community. They must show they can run a school more effectively than the district. They must study the experiences of other successful conversion charters, like Granada Hills Charter High in Los Angeles, and take a hard look at the constraints of their own union contract.

State law makes it relatively easy for teachers to convert to a charter school. But first they must submit a proposal to the school board detailing how they would run the school. That will reveal whether Andrew Hill's teachers are not only disgruntled but also realistic and creative.

Taking a no-confidence vote in district management was easy; the hard work lies ahead.